 Introduction
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The World Summit for Social Development
The World
Summit for Social Development (WSSD) held in March 1995 in Copenhagen,
pursuant to general Assembly resolution 47/92, was attended by representatives
from 186 Governments, including 117 Heads of State or Government, who brought
a number of key social issues to the forefront of the international political
arena. The Summit was undoubtedly a milestone in strengthening engagements by
national Governments to social development and to strategies for improving the
human condition.
The Summit discussions, which centred
around the three core themes of the eradication of poverty, the achievement
of full employment and the promotion of social integration, resulted
in the adoption of the Copenhagen
Declaration and the Programme
of Action of the WSSD, subsequently endorsed by the UN General Assembly
in resolution 50/161. The adoption of the Declaration established a collective
consensus on treating social development as one of the highest priorities of
national and international policies and placing the human person at the centre
of development. Moreover, it launched a global drive for social progress and
development embodied in 10
Commitments to:
On the recommendation of the Summit, the General Assembly decided in 1995 (resolution 50/161) to hold a special session in 2000 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit and to consider further actions and initiatives. The Special Session of the General Assembly of the General Assembly entitled "World Summit for Social Development and Beyond: Achieving Social Development for All in a Globalizing World" will be held in Geneva from 26 to 30 June 2000. The main purpose of this event will be to reaffirm the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action, to review the implementation so far, and to recommend concrete action and initiatives to further efforts towards their full and effective implementation.
Because of its mandate, tripartite structure and expertise in the field of employment and social development, the ILO has played a prominent role in the promotion and implementation of the social development goals contained in the WSSD Declaration and Programme of Action and it has been actively involved in the Special Session preparatory process.
Parallel to this event the Swiss authorities are organizing a forum entitled Geneva 2000, The next step in social development which will provide a platform for the exchange and sharing of experience through special events such as panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops, etc., organized by international organizations, non governmental organizations (NGOs), and other interested actors in the development process. The Geneva 2000 forum will provide the official umbrella for the parallel events to be held in conjunction with the June 2000 Special Session of the UN General Assembly. The ILO's Director-General is a member of the High-Level Advisory Group of the Forum, and two other ILO officials are participating in the Steering Group. Detailed information on the ILO's participation and involvement in this event can be found in the Geneva 2000 section.